Guardians of Narnia
by Aurora Mandeville
Summary: In modern Narnia, inhabited by demigods & future kings & queens, things seem to be all peaceful outside of the typical drama at Jupiter High. But when monsters start showing up with modifications, it's going to take a very special team to turn them into stones & send them back to Tartarus (basically a Miraculous Ladybug AU, w/ appearances from The Thief Lord & The Cooper Kids).
1. The Forging

Hades approached the figure hunched over the forge as he hammered away. Hades paused and waited for Hephaestus to finish his project. Finally, after a few sweltering minutes, Hephaestus straightened up from the forge and peered at his handiwork.

Hades cleared his throat before speaking, "You called me, nephew?"

Hephaestus gave a little jump but turned towards his uncle without fear in his eyes, "Ah, yes, I did, I'm finished. I hope this works." Hephaestus picked up the trinkets and showed them to Hades. There were three of them, the first was a silvery skull ring with obsidian eyes and mouth, the second was a golden barrette that had a lion's head flanked by two leaves and a polished amber set in its mouth, while the third was a bronzed belt with the image of a phoenix carved out of a fiery red ruby blazoned upon the belt buckle. Hades was practically speechless, these were no doubt exquisite and extremely well done. He glanced at Hephaestus with awe, Zeus really did underestimate his son. But, a concern did pop into his head.

"Would this not practically shout to the whole world who our heroes are?"

Hephaestus gave a sly smile, "Ah yes, I did think of that too, uncle, but, once they transform, these items will not be visible at all. The ring will be replaced by a glove, the barrette by the lion's mane, and the belt by feathers. As for why these children will have these items, well, we already have the answer to that. At least, you certainly do."

Hades nodded as he took the three items from Hephaestus, "That, I do, I only hope this will work and get to the right people. But, considering the designs of these items, it's more than likely. Thank you, nephew, for your excellent work, they are exquisite."

"Are you sure about Cerberus?"

Hades sighed as he rubbed the ring, "I have to be, these are the three strongest creatures, and Cerberus might be the only one who can turn those monsters into stones. Besides, I have his brother Orthrus for now, it's not the same, but, he'll do. We need Cerberus to handle these monsters."

"Right, but, are you sure about the lion? This lion isn't like that other one."

Hades pursed his lips, "I know, but with this lion's claws and hide, it will provide a perfect ally for Cerberus. Not only that, but, I did promise it that if it behaved in this form, it may stay out of Tartarus for good, but if it were to ever go against its master's wishes or attempted to return to its evil ways, I will send it back to Tartarus without hesitation."

Hephaestus nodded in understanding, "Good, but, I do have one other question, uncle."

"Yes?"

"Should I begin on some more, in case they need help?"

Hades nodded grimly, "That would be a good idea."

"Do you have any particular creatures in mind?"

"Pegasus, for one, and probably the griffin and the unicorn. Trying to figure out a seventh, since seven seems to be our lucky number."

Hephaestus scoffed, "No kidding, but until you do, I'll get the other three going."

"Good, thank you, and I shall be sure to get these three to their proper owners."

"Wonderful, and thank you uncle, for being perhaps the only family to appreciate me."

Hades smiled sadly, "Mainly because I know all too well. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must get going, the heat is getting to me." Hades walked away, shouting as he did so, "Besides, you and your heat are nowhere near as insufferable as Apollo!"

Hephaestus burst out laughing, "We are in total agreement there, uncle!" Hades merely grinned at him before shadowing away back to the underworld. He let out a sigh, he hoped this would work, but since Zeus refused to do anything about it, it was their only option. He gritted his teeth as he shadowed again, if only they could do more than just sit around and let the children handle their problems, things would be so much easier. But this seemed to be the only way, and they had to make it work, or else.


	2. The Hydra

"Alright, class! Be sure to have pages forty through forty-five read and the answers to the problems on those pages handed to me by Monday! Have a good weekend!" shouted the teacher as students filed out of the classroom. She had shot a glance at Nico that told him she wanted him to stay behind, again. He merely let out a grumble as he lowered his head onto his arms. What did she want this time? Yes, she only took the job of teacher as a way to keep an eye on him and Hazel, as their father commanded her, but he, like everybody else, really didn't want to chat with a Fury for long. When he heard the door closing behind the retreating students, he let out a sigh as he brought his head up.

"What did you want now, Alecto?" He paused, that was no Fury standing at the teacher's desk. "Dad?" he asked as he half rose from his chair.

"Yes, it's me. I found it."

With the biggest grin to be ever seen on his face, he bounded forward, exclaiming, "Yes! What took you so long?"

"Oh, I asked Hephaestus to clean it up and to make it grow as you grow," Hades stated as he grinned back and pulled out a little box. "Here, from me, and your sister."

Tears began to well up in Nico's eyes as he took the box, "Th-thanks, Dad." He stepped forward as if to hug Hades, but paused and began to pull back. Hades let out a soft sigh followed by a soft chuckle as he held out his arms. Nico rushed in to them and the two squeezed each other tight.

"No matter what happens, Nico, no matter what anyone says, I'm proud of you."

"Not even what you said, about preferring Bianca over me?"

"That was wrong of me Nico, I see that now, I'm sorry I ever thought it. I'm just happy to have had the three of you, all of you are wonderful. I'm sorry, but I must go now. Another busy day in the underworld, and I still have a few other things to take care of real quick before I head back. Oh, and before I forget, there is one other modification. You'll see what I mean when you put it on. But no matter what happens, don't tell anyone, alright?" Hades' voice became so low it was just barely a whisper. "Remember, don't say a word to anyone." With that, he patted his son's head and was gone. With his curiosity thoroughly aroused, Nico quickly shadowed back to his cabin. It was a homely little spot complete with a small living room, a kitchenette, and two bedrooms with adjoining bathrooms. It was made of dark ebony wood and fixed up with golden accents, thanks to Hazel's superior decorating skills. She made it feel like a home, and made it look much less dreary than before she arrived at Jupiter High. Thinking of Hazel, he quickly checked the cabin to see if she had gotten back yet. She hadn't shown up, thankfully. Then again, she was a lot more social than he was, and she couldn't shadow travel as easily as he could either. But, to be on the safe side, he locked himself in his room and closed all the curtains. He was going to take his father's words seriously and make sure that no one knew. He quickly opened the little box, and let out a shaky gasp. If Hephaestus really cleaned it up, he outdid himself. The silver skull gleamed under the pale light of Nico's lamp and the obsidian seemed to give off an almost eerie, black glow. Nico merely smiled sadly at it while thoughts of his sister Bianca flashed through his mind. She had asked their father to give him the ring to remember her by, and now here it was, finally in his hands. He let out a sigh as his thoughts turned to the conversation with Hades, what in the world did he mean by a modification that no one could know about? It didn't seem like anyone wouldn't see the ring, that is, if anyone besides Hazel and Alecto even acknowledged his presence. Still mulling over the oddness of his father's command, he slipped the ring on. The obsidian seemed to glow even more and it seemed to shoot something out of the gemstones. Nico let out a yelp as something definitely flew past his face and landed on his bed. He slowly got up and went over to his bed to see what exactly it was when it rolled over. Nico let out a gasp as he recognised the miniature form of the guardian of his father's gates.

"C-Cerberus?"

"Master!" barked all three heads.

"What? How did you get so small? Were you inside of my ring? How did you get in there? What in Hades is going on?"

"Shh! Please, Master, Master Hades said that no one can know!"

"And, and how can you be talking?" blurted Nico, though he had lowered his voice.

Cerberus sighed as each head took a turn in replying, "Master Hades thinks it's something to do with the gems. Whenever a creature is tied to one, it seems we have the ability to talk. Your father hasn't been able to do too much research into it as we're running out of time."

"Wh-what do you mean?"

"There have been monsters escaping Tartarus left and right, right under everyone's noses. Master Hades thinks Gaia is behind all of it, as it deals with stones. Each monster has been transferred into a stone, just like me, and they come out stronger. Master Hades heard of a few reports to the north of Narnia, that's how he found out what was going on. He was able to capture one and immediately began to research into it. He took the tale straight up to Lord Zeus, but he has refused to do nothing, thinking Master Hades was simply lying." All three heads growled. "But Master Hades went behind his back and did more research. He found out that he could do the same with any creature he wanted to. He also found out that whoever wears the stone can control the creature's powers." Here, all three heads spoke, "Hence, you."

"But, why didn't Dad just tell me this?"

Cerberus went back to alternating heads, "He couldn't stay long in Narnia. It would have alerted Zeus to his presence and made him wonder what was going on. Plus, he had two more creatures to deliver."

"Two more?"

"Yes, the Phoenix and the Nemean Lion."

"Th-the Nemean Lion? Is he sure that's such a good idea?"

"The Nemean Lion made a deal with Master Hades. If the Nemean Lion does well, then Master Hades will not return it to Tartarus. But the instant the Nemean Lion reverts back to its evil ways, it's heading back to Tartarus for good."

"Who's getting them?"

Cerberus shrugged, "Don't know."

Nico sighed, "OK, let me get this straight. Dad finds out that someone, most likely Gaia, has been taking monsters out of Tartarus from right under his nose and turning them into gems to give them more power, right?" All three heads nodded. "And Dad found out that he could do the same thing, so he chose you, the Phoenix, and the Nemean Lion, to be the creatures to send them back to Tartarus, but you need me and two others to use your powers to do that, right?" The heads nodded again. "OK, so, how does that work again?"

Cerberus shrugged, "Like I said, Master Hades did not get much time to research thoroughly. He only got what he needed to know that this will work for good. And that it will have no side effects on either you or me."

"Well that's good to know."

"Do you want to try it out?"

"What, now?"

"Yes! No one else is here. Right?"

"Um, uh, yeah, yeah, we're the only ones here."

"Then simply say . . . Cerberus, power up!"

"What? That sounds lame."

"What? It sounded better than, 'Cerberus, heads up'."  
"OK, yes, that's even worse, but, power up? That sounds like something out of a cheesy TV show or something."

"What? It was the best thing we could come up with on such short notice. Unless you've got a few bright ideas."

Nico sighed, "Alright fine, we'll try it out real quick. Cerberus, power up!" Cerberus gave a little excited bark before his body flew into the ring. The obsidian stones glowed and a shadow burst forth that proceeded to cover Nico. Nico closed his eyes and gritted his teeth as he waited for the transformation to finish. After a minute, he slowly opened his right eye for a peek and noticed he could see his room. With both eyes wide open, he saw that the skull ring was no longer on his hand as now both hands were in black leather gloves that were reminiscent of dog paws. And though the ring had disappeared from his hand, he could see the spot where it was supposed to be, illuminated, as it were, by a soft silver glow. "Cool," muttered Nico as a grin began to grow on his face. He glanced down at the rest of his costume. It was all primarily black leather, with a pair of black boots on his feet. He touched his face and felt the mask, prompting him to rush into his bathroom to see what he looked like with it on. He gasped, sure, the mask nearly covered his face and was reminiscent of a dog's head, but the other two heads of Cerberus had changed into scythes that were strapped to his back. "Whoa! Wait, what can I do? Uh, Cerberus, power down?" The change happened much quicker as the suit disappeared into a cloud of inky shadows, and Cerberus and the ring reappeared. Cerberus landed on the counter, but immediately popped up with tail and tongues wagging.

"Well? What did you think? Was it awesome?"

"It was pretty cool, but, I need to know more."

"Of course! But first, I'm hungry. Got anything to eat?"

Nico chuckled as he picked up Cerberus, "Yeah, I do. Come on, we'll find you something to eat, but you had better start talking." Nico quickly checked to see if Hazel had gotten back yet, but when he saw no sign of her, he and Cerberus chatted while Cerberus ate an assortment of food, since there was always at least one mouth available to talk. Nico learned that he had super strength and speed, as to be expected; could shadow travel further and for longer than he had ever done before; wrap shadows around himself and others; turn his scythes into swords or one long, double-headed spear; could kill anything, except the Nemean Lion and the Phoenix, with one strike of his blades; could practically control the earth; and could use his super attack only once during each fight, which was when the double scythes glowed a pale green. That's when he could strike any monster and turn it into a stone. Cerberus also learned that he liked and gained more energy from pomegranates, of course, cabbage, and black forest ham.

"Well, looks like we're going to have to get more ham," sighed Nico as he picked up the rest of the ham and began cleaning up. Cerberus merely rolled over on the table as happy, satisfied smiles widened on each head. "But at least the pomegranate seeds should be easy enough, I take those with me for a snack everyday. You can snack on those at school. Would also probably make less noise than cabbage or ham." He paused, he could hear a soft snoring sound coming from three mouths. He glanced at the little three-headed dog, sound asleep on the table. He chuckled as he picked up Cerberus gently and placed him on his bed so he could finish the clean-up before Hazel got back. He went straight away to his homework and worked on that until he heard Hazel coming in. He wished he could tell her about Cerberus and the new dangers their father had found out about, but both Hades and Cerberus instructed him not to say a word to anyone, as such, he didn't breathe a word of it to Hazel. But he did realize he kind of wanted to meet his teammates. Did his dad choose well? What was he saying, more than likely, Nico couldn't work with just about anybody, he needed specific people. And he needed people who would step up to the plate when he needed them to. He pondered over what his teammates were like before he drifted off to sleep, not realizing, he was going to find out very soon.

The next morning, Hazel practically dragged him out of bed on what he thought was a pretext for aid in preparing the school for the first social event of the year, the Michaelmas Festival. What he thought she really wanted was for him to get out and socialize. Socialize? With whom? He didn't care for the snobs, who made up half the students at Jupiter High, and the few people he did become acquainted with over the summer at Camp Half-Blood, well, not all were in the same class, much less in the same country. Reyna, the Coopers, and Hazel's boyfriend Frank were attending Romulus High in Archenland, while Scipio, Riccio, and Mosca were attending Dionysus High near Lantern Waste. But Nico only hastily bounced out of bed when he realized that Hazel was getting close to finding out about Cerberus. And he quickly promised to go with her to set up if she got out of his room long enough for him to get dressed. She seemed fine with the proposal and left the room. Nico heaved a sigh of relief as he closed the door behind her. This was going to be a lot harder than he thought, making sure Hazel didn't find out about Cerberus. And now he got himself roped into going with Hazel to school, on a Saturday, and maybe having to deal with people. Ugh. Like Monday through Friday wasn't bad enough, but he never broke a promise to his half-sister and went about getting dressed. Cerberus began to wake up in the meantime and mumbled something about breakfast.

"Well, if you want breakfast, you had better get up. But, Hazel's here, so you've got to be quiet," Nico told him. Cerberus's eyes popped open and nodded solemnly. He quickly dove into Nico's coat pocket before he walked out of the room. Hazel talked quite a bit, while Nico would only nod and mumble his replies, all while getting some food to Cerberus. It wasn't easy, but Nico managed to slip enough eggs and ham into the pocket where Cerberus was hiding to keep him satisfied until lunch. For extra measure, Nico tossed in a few pomegranate seeds, just in case Cerberus needed a mid-morning snack, or an afternoon snack if they couldn't get back until dinner. Nico trudged begrudgingly after Hazel, quite upset with his Saturday routine being interrupted. The auditorium was already filling up with other teens eager to get the rest of the decorating done in time for the evening's festivities. There were Jason and Piper, making sure Leo kept his eyes off the other girls long enough to get his job done, Percy was helping Annabeth with some project in the corner, Cecil and Lou Ellen were heading up the streamer committee with help from Jill Pole and Eustace Scrubb, while Jesse Aarons and Leslie Burke were helping the Pevensies in decorating the walls. They were the ones who noticed the newcomers first.

"Hey Hazel! Wanna come help us?" asked Jesse as he handed off another one of his hand-painted decorations to Lucy. Cut-outs of autumn leaves, cornucopias, geese, blackberries, asters, and chrysanthemums were laid out on the table Jesse was working solo at. Nico had to hand it to the kid, he knew how to paint.

"Oh, sorry, I already promised Lou Ellen I'd help her, but, Nico's not doing anything." Nico glared at his half-sister.

Leslie laughed, "Seems to me that Nico doesn't appreciate being volunteered."

"I don't blame him," grumbled Edmund as he snatched up a decoration, proving that he was pretty much in the same position.

"Oh do knock it off, Ed, it's not like you had anything else more important to do," quipped Susan.

"I had sleeping to catch up on. Sleeping is very important."

"I have to agree with him there," sighed Peter.

Jesse grinned sheepishly at Nico, "So, um, you don't have to help if you don't, uh, want to."

"So, Nico, you've got a choice. You can either come help us with streamers, or you can help them with the walls," stated Hazel.

Nico glanced between the two groups before letting out a groan, "I'll help with the walls."

Lucy clapped her hands, "Yay! Thank you so much!"

"Alright, then, keep him busy," winked Hazel before just about bouncing off towards Lou Ellen.

Nico sighed, "What do I have to do?"

Lucy grabbed a few decorations before replying, "You can follow me to the next wall, we're just about done with this one, and I can show you what to do. Once you've got the hang of it, you'll get into a rhythm."

"Fine," Nico begrudgingly trudged after her. He did notice that her hair was pulled back with an elegant lion barrette. Always lions for the youngest member of the royal family, especially after the siblings' encounter with the Great Lion himself. Lucy showed him which cut-outs were to be taped to the wall, and which ones were to be pinned. As Lucy had said, once he got the hang of it, he was able to get into a rhythm. And though Lucy asked a few courteous questions about him, for the most part, he was left alone. Well, sort of. He kept to himself mostly, just working, and he was perfectly fine with that. He really wasn't in the mood for socialization, but he couldn't help but overhear the conversations the Pevensies were having with Jesse and Leslie. Kind of hard not to considering they were working as a team, somewhat, and they were talking so loud the whole auditorium could hear them. But it was fun to listen to, especially when the four royal siblings were taking turns poking fun at each other. Now Nico understood why Jesse didn't have a problem with him working somewhere else, their words were coming out of their mouths like rapid fire. Sometimes Jesse would pipe in with something, but for the most part he would just groan and roll his eyes and kept his attention on his own work, though one could easily see the smile on his face as he too listened. When Piper called out for lunch break, they got about a little more than half the walls taken care of.

"Man, this is going by in a cinch. We should be done pretty soon after lunch!" Leslie remarked as the group sat down for a picnic lunch. All of the volunteers were clustered together on the floor, munching away at sandwiches and sipping from juice boxes. Nico mentally thanked both Hades and Aslan, he got a black forest ham sandwich and would sneak a few pieces into his coat pocket for Cerberus whenever he could.

"Yeah, our new helper has been plowing away like a champ," remarked Jesse as he grinned at Nico.

Jason scoffed, "Lucky you, our whole job is to make sure Leo gets his work done."

"What? Not my problem if half the volunteers are such pretty girls," grinned Leo as he winked at a couple of them.

Piper sighed, "You know, if you could just hurry it up, you might be able to talk to one of those pretty girls."

"Why should I? I can do it right now. Any of you ladies wanna go out with this hot muffin?"

"Did he just say what I think he said?" asked Susan as she glanced at Edmund.

Edmund merely grinned, "Yes, you did. The only problem is that muffin is going to start getting stale."

"What? Impossible, practically fresh from the oven and a shelf life of a good forty years."

Edmund guwaffed, "Oh yeah? Last I heard, the only time a muffin lasted that long it was rock solid!"

"Yeah, well, guess what, Eddy, this muffin ain't that hard."

"No, but it will be, and then you'll be nothing but shelf-worthy." Edmund grinned, followed by an elfish grin from Leo, and the two practically bounced into a wrestling match.

"Well, thank you for keeping it away from us and the food," Lucy called out nonchalantly before turning back to her juice. Jason and Peter merely glanced at each other and let out a sigh before slowly standing up to separate the two. Percy kept an eye on them in case they needed any help, but they were able to bring back the two troublemakers without much of a problem, and two big grins on their faces despite every attempt to pout.

Nico glanced at Jesse, "Do they do that all the time?"

"You have no idea." But too soon, lunch was over and everyone was back at work. They were in the final lap of decorating when Nico felt a sudden dread overcome him. He wasn't sure if anyone else sensed it too, or if it had just been happening gradually and he didn't notice, but, everyone else was becoming more quiet. That probably was what allowed them to hear a crash in the distance.

"Did, did anyone hear that?" asked Jesse worriedly.

"I, I think so," replied Jason. Everyone in the room began to tense up, though they continued to work albeit slowly. But the cherry on top came in the form of Grover, who burst through the door while flailing his arms, his eyes full of panic.

"Everyone, head to the barracks! Now!"

Percy leapt towards his best friend, "Grover, what's going on?" Jason and Peter soon joined him.

"Everyone needs to get out now! There's . . . the Hydra's here! It's heading this way! We need to go, now!" Everyone glanced at each other in alarm, but Jason, Percy, and Peter were the first to respond and sprang out the door, Leo and Edmund not far behind. Peter came sprinting back in.

"Everybody, out now!" Everyone dropped what they were doing and dashed out of the building. Nico made sure he was the last one out on purpose, especially when Cerberus popped out and nodded his heads. This was it, it was beginning.

"What in Hades?"

"By the Lion's Mane, it, it . . ."

"Percy, it looks different!" shrieked Annabeth. Nico gasped when he finally got a look at the modified Hydra. It was modified, alright, the original Hydra was still there, but it was now covered in an almost silvery armour with spikes on the sides of its body and heads.

"Run, just, run! Everybody to the barracks!" called out Grover, The group started running. Nico did as well, straight into a shadow.

"Nico!" Hazel called out, right before he disappeared. He came out on top of the school building and quickly made sure that no one could see him before he let out Cerberus.

"Alright, looks like this is it."

"Yup, that Hydra is definitely one of them," growled Cerberus.

"Then let's do this. Cerberus, power up!" Cerberus flew into the ring and Nico was instantly changed into his super hero garb. He leapt off the building and landed in direct sight of the hydra. The hydra's five heads slowly turned towards the lone figure in black.

"Cerberus," all five heads hissed at him.

"Kind of, I'm using his powers, but you do know what he's here to do, right?"

"Send us back to Tartarus!"

"That's right," replied Nico as he pulled out his two scythes. He found to his surprise, relief, and delight that they were much lighter than they looked, but he could still feel the power surging through them.

"No! I will kill you first!" shrieked the hydra as it charged at him. Nico lept backwards, drawing the creature away from the civilians. He hoped his teammates would be able to get there in time to help him, that is, if they could get away to help, or if they even heard about the attack yet. There were too many possibilities for Nico to even consider, especially now that he had an angry, five headed, fire-breathing monster rushing towards him. He lept back a few more times, pulling the Hydra even further away, and to give them ample room to fight without harming anyone else. The hydra gave no thought as to Nico's strategy as it seemed to only be concerned with destroying him before he destroyed it. When Nico got the Hydra to a spot he was satisfied with, he turned and attacked. He wished ever so much more for the Phoenix as its fiery powers would have kept any severed heads from growing back. But that really left Nico with one option, to attempt to attack its body. He flipped over the heads, completely clearing them, and in its surprise, he brought his scythes down hard. But when the scythes and the armour made contact, it emitted a sonic wave that sent Nico flying into a boulder. He groaned as he tried to get back up.

The Hydra laughed, "Like my new armour? It protects the gem's source from you, and nothing can cut through it." Except the Nemean Lion, realized Nico. He got up and yelped as the Hydra's claws wrapped around his waist, and squeezed. "Whoever thought they could stop us is a fool. You shouldn't have gotten involved, because now, you're going to die." Nico fought frantically against the claws as he wheezed for breath before noticing with horror that the Hydra was going to torch him.

"They say two heads are better than one, but this is a bit much!" Both the hydra and Nico jumped when the new voice spoke. Nico's spirit began to soar, perhaps that was one of his teammates! "Hey big fella, I'm over here!" The two glanced around at the surrounding areas to find the speaker. "No, no, over here! Come on man, I'm waving my arms! Can't you see me?"

"Where are you?" roared the hydra.

"Apparently only two heads are better than one. You have five heads, and you're dumb and blind!"

"Show yourself!"

"I am! You're just not looking! Come on! My arms are getting tired of waving at you!" That's when both Nico and the hydra noticed the fiery feathered figure in the treetops. Nico blinked in surprise, he was pretty visible! How did the hydra not notice him before? Nico's only excuse for not being able to see him was because the hydra was blocking his vision half the time. But Nico didn't get to think more on it as the hydra shrieked in pain, and Nico was falling. He was caught by the Nemean Lion, though the only real definitive feature was the mane-like hoodie. The rest of it certainly looked like a girl in a lion-colored suit.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"Um, uh, yeah, thanks."

"Are you going to say something about me being a girl too?"

"No, no, you just took me by surprise, and well . . . look out!" The hydra let loose a stream of fire, but the Nemean Lion stepped between the flames and Nico, the flames passing around them harmlessly. When the creature finally stopped, it let out a roar.

"Traitor!"

"No, Nemea was just given a better deal, that's all," quipped the girl. Nico grabbed her arm as the Phoenix swooped down for an attack.

"I need you to get that armour off of it. It's the only way I can get to the gem's source."

"Right, on it. Hey Phoenix, I need you to help me take care of these heads!" she called out as she raced towards the two fire-throwing combatants.

He grinned at her, "With pleasure!" With a grunt, the Nemean Lion jumped up and extended her claws. As soon as she swiped her hand across the hydra's first head, the Phoenix threw a fireball at it. Two more heads did not pop out. They quickly worked their way through the other four heads before the Nemean Lion slashed her claws across the armour that lay on the hydra's back. Nico had his scythes glowing and ready, and when he saw a faint, greenish glow on the hydra's back, he charged and brought both scythes down hard. The hydra began to disintegrate, every single bit being sucked into a stone surrounded by a green glow. When it stopped glowing, it fell to the ground. Nico picked it up and realized that it was a coral.

"Alright, that was awesome, man!" Phoenix approached Nico and raised his hand for a high-five. Nico just glanced at him before turning back to the stone.

"Is that what they'll turn into?" asked the Nemean Lion.

"Kind of, they might turn into different stones, but, yes."

"So, now what?"

"I have to bring this to Hades. Uh, thanks for your help, looks like we're done for today."

"Hey man, come on, be nice! This is the first time for all of us. Phoenix did say we are a team."

"Speaking of, should we continue to use our creatures' names, or should we come up with something else for each of us? This guy here blatantly pointed out that the Nemean Lion isn't a girl."

"Yeah, so you could be . . ."

"Lioness," mumbled Nico. The girl glanced at him in surprise. Why? Lioness meant a female lion, so it was the logical result.

"Yeah, that's what I was going to say! And you can call me . . . Hot Stuff!"

"No, you're going to be Firebird, and I'll be Ghost Hound. There, simple enough."

"What? No, Firebird's way too simple. I want something hot and sizzling . . . ooh, maybe McSizzle!"

"No, absolutely not, it's Firebird. Now, if you'll excuse me . . ."

"Should we reveal our identities?" asked Lioness.

Nico shook his head, "It's best that we don't. I don't want anyone to accidentally slip something about one of the others."

"Oh, um, OK."

Nico sighed, "But, when I hand this to Hades, I can ask if he thinks it's a good idea. I'll let you know when the next monster comes."

"Thank you," Lioness smiled. "See you for the next round!" With a smile and a wave, she lept away.

"Huh, nice move, doing that to win the lady's favor."

"I wasn't doing it to win her favor or anything."

"Oh, so I've got first dibs!"

"What? No! You . . . we're supposed to be a team to stop monsters from destroying Narnia, we're not here to flirt with girls!" As he said it, Nico thought it odd that he heard something similar being said somewhere before.

Firebird chuckled, "Whatever man. We'll talk about this later. I've got something to get back to. See ya!" With that, his annoyingly grinning face finally flew away, leaving Nico alone in the former battlefield. Heaving a sigh, he shadowed quickly to his father's realm. He let Cerberus do the guiding as he had no idea where Hades would have wanted him to go. But he found out quickly when he stepped out of the shadows and saw that he was in a room filled with jewel cabinets.

"Well done, you have captured your first monster," came Hades' voice. Nico turned around, there was his father, walking towards him.

"Won't Zeus suspect something now?"

"Oh, he already knows. But now he also finally realizes the extent of the danger that you are in and why I had to do what I had to do. So, for now, you're not going to get a lightning bolt down your back."

"Oh, thanks."

Hades chuckled as he patted Nico's head, "And thank you, for taking care of this. I apologize for not being able to tell you everything and had to leave that to Cerberus, but it was for the best." Nico merely nodded as he opened the palm of his hand, the coral left by the Hydra was still there. "Ah yes, thank you." Hades took the stone and placed it in one of the cabinets. "Things are going to get worse."

"With monsters on the loose, how could it get any better?"

Hades glanced at him, a sad smile on his face, "That is true, but, the monsters are to get more and more powerful. Hephaestus is creating four more pieces, just in case you need aid."

"Well, thank you . . . thank you, for looking out for us."

Hades patted his shoulder, "It's supposed to be my job, and since I've basically chosen you to fight this, well, what kind of a father would I be if I let my only son get killed?"

"Uh, Lycaon?"

Hades snorted, "Well, yes, but, let's not go there, shall we? Point is, I do care about your well-being, and though I can't be there for you all the time, I will try to take care of you the best way that I can."

Nico nodded, "I know."

"Well, I suggest you get back to Narnia, Cerberus must be needing some food and rest."

"Right, um, real quick question."

"Yes?"

"The others were wondering, should we reveal our true identities to each other?"

"Maybe later, but not right now. You three just started working together. Perhaps later, when you know for certain that, no matter who's beneath the mask, you can and will trust them."

Nico blinked, "Oh, um, OK, good point. But, you're worried more about them trusting me, than me trusting them."

Hades shrugged, "It could go either way. It's better to gain that trust and then reveal yourselves. Do you think that answer will satisfy them?"

"M-maybe, if not . . . I'll think of something."

Hades nodded, "Alright, but if you need any help, don't hesitate to ask."

"Right, goodbye Dad."

"Goodbye, my son." The two vanished into the shadows, though Nico felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude. His father was thinking about how Lioness and Firebird would react to him without his mask. His dad noticed how many people acted around Nico. Sure, there were a few who didn't seem to mind him, but most of them were in other high schools. As for everyone at Jupiter High, he always noticed the looks of relief when he was leaving. Perhaps Hades also saw this as a way to help his son get a social life? If it was, it was turning out to be a pretty good idea so far. Neither Lioness nor Firebird seemed to have a problem with him. At least, not that he had noticed as of yet. Maybe once they fought more monsters together, he would be able to tell for sure. Nico heard a little whimper, quickly realizing that Cerberus was about to change him back. He quickly found a spot not far from the school where no one could see him, right as Cerberus flew out of his ring.

"Yay, we did it," barked Cerberus tiredly.

"That we did, Cerberus. Are there any pomegranate seeds left?"

"A few."

"Think that should hold you until supper?"

"I think so. Right now, I just want to take a nap, I'm so tired," Cerberus yawned.

"Alright, but please try not to snore, I have to go find Hazel and the others." Cerberus' three heads slowly nodded as he fought to keep his eyes open long enough to dive into Nico's pocket. Nico watched as each head took a pomegranate seed, chewed on it, and instantly fell asleep before he set out to find the volunteers.

"Nico, where have you been?" asked Hazel when he nearly ran into them on their way back to the school.

"Uh, um . . ." Oh shoot, he didn't have a ready excuse.

"Trying to sneak off and get a piece of the action, eh?" quipped Edmund.

"S-something like that, yeah." Keep it steady, keep it smooth, or they'll figure it out real quick.

"Did Ghost Hound have to save you?" grinned Leo.

Nico blinked, "Say what?"

"Guess the guy didn't give you his name then. But Firebird and Lioness came to the barracks to make sure everyone was alright. They told us Ghost Hound was bringing the monster down to Hades," commented Susan, acting a bit flustered. Had she been flirting with Firebird?

"And that the monsters change into stones?" wondered Peter as he scratched his head.

"Which would make sense if Gaia is somehow involved," mused Jason. But Nico alone noticed the glances the four Pevensies shot each other. Were they wondering about the White Witch too? It would in fact make sense, Chiron had mentioned a few witches and dwarves had attempted to bring her back once before, who's to say Gaia couldn't do it? And if she had, they were in for some real trouble. She was only defeated thanks to Aslan. Would he come back to defeat her a second time?

"Well, as much as we would all like to speculate about everything, there's still an auditorium to finish decorating," quipped Jesse.

"Oh man, you're right!"

"And we've only got a few minutes!" exclaimed Hazel as she glanced at her watch.

"Then let's get a move-on!"

"I only hope the hydra made everybody late," mumbled Leo as everyone dashed back to the school and rushed around, getting the final touches put up. The festival went on without a hitch, the talk focusing on the superheroes who saved the day and wondering what was going on with the monsters. Nico couldn't say a word even if he wanted to, as soon as he attempted to talk about it, everyone seemed to clam up or he was just outright ignored. Why? He wasn't going to combust or randomly call up zombies or kill anyone. Why did they fear him so much? Why did they fear Hades so much? After several attempts, Nico just about gave up, until a girl his age in a sky blue dress approached him. It took him a second, but he was startled to recognise Lucy Pevensie.

"What do you want?" he grumbled.

"We thought you were going to join us. Well, aren't you?" asked Lucy. Nico blinked, they were expecting him? He glanced over at the table where her siblings and their friends sat. A few of them noticed he was looking their way and waved him over. "I know we're not demigods and might not entirely understand what you're going through, but, we'd like to try. I mean, my brothers, sister, and I are the kings and queens of Narnia, we want to be sure we're doing right by everyone, including you."

"But, you were expecting me?"

"Well, yes. We noticed you were trying to make the rounds. I mean, unless, you don't want to hang out with us."

"Oh, no, it's just, well, I'm sorry."

"What for?"

"I guess I misjudged you. I thought you'd be like everybody else and shun me."

"What? Oh no! After what happened this afternoon?"

Nico glanced at her warily, "What do you mean?"

"Well, Ghost Hound, Lioness, and Firebird are clearly working for Hades to protect us. Why should we shun the son of the one deity who seems to be actively looking out for our welfare?"

"Looks like someone was paying attention."

"So, are you going to come?" she asked again. He glanced over at the table as a few of them began to laugh.

His lips began to curl into a smile, "Sure."

"Great!" Lucy grabbed his arm and practically dragged him to the table. He was surprised at how strong she was. There was more to this girl than met the eye. That's when Nico took a double take at her barrette. Was it glowing? If so, was Queen Lucy Lioness? If so, she was an invaluable member of their team, and that meant Nico had to make extra sure that nothing happened to her. But she did have the Nemean Lion, maybe that was all she needed. Those thoughts were soon pushed to the side when Lucy's group practically welcomed him with open arms. They did seem a bit nervous, but Nico quickly found out that it had more to do with trying to find out what they could talk about with him rather than being cautious of him for being a son of Hades. And, surprisingly, he enjoyed himself that evening, they were a great group. Maybe things weren't so bad after all, even with the monsters. But, as he was soon to find out, as his father had mentioned, things were only going to get worse.


	3. The Minotaur

Dawn came all bright and glorious the next morning, rousing everyone from their beds. Lucy merely groaned and rolled over, though her eyes were open so as not to knock off the little lion sleeping on her decorative pillow. She watched him sleep as she mulled over the conversation and events of the day before. To summarize, Hades had chosen her and two others to be superheroes! What fun! And the little lion that slept by her side, the Nemean Lion, as she found out, was the only way she could turn into a superhero. All she had to say was, Nemea, power up and the invincible hide of the lion would cover her in a super suit. Almost like Hercules! Except, she was a girl and Hercules was a guy, but Nemea told her that he liked her way better than Hercules already. She rubbed the Nemean Lion's tummy, causing him to purr happily, while she thought to their conversation the day before. She learned that, besides the invincible coat, she could extend the claws on her gloves and even turn them into knives that could cut into anything; she could create illusions; she had enhanced speed, strength, and endurance; a super sonic roar that could push anything backwards; she could even create a magical shield, which she had done to protect herself and Ghost Hound from the Hydra's flame; and her special power, which was basically to create a more detailed illusion showcasing whatever the monster wanted to see. She wondered if she'd in fact ever need to use that power, seeing as how Ghost Hound alone needed his powers to revert the monsters back into stones. She and Firebird were only needed to make sure that Ghost Hound was able to turn the monsters into stones and deliver them to Hades. Still, it felt good to be able to help. It gave her something to do to help the Narnians until she and her siblings became old enough to inherit the throne. Well, primarily Lucy had to be old enough for them to inherit the throne, but the four of them were really close in age, so it wouldn't be long before they would ascend to the throne.

A soft knock was rapped on her door followed by her sister's voice, "Come on Lucy, it's time to get up. Mother and Father will be here soon."

"Right! I'll be out in a minute!" Lucy called back. She bounced out of bed and dressed quickly, softly explaining to Nemea what was going on as her movement had woken him.

"Will there be breakfast?" mumbled Nemea as he rolled over with a yawn.

"Only if you hurry it up and get those lazy bones out of bed," teased Lucy.

"OK, OK, I'm up, I'm up." Nemea took a couple of steps forward on the bed before plopping down again. "Nope, too tired." His stomach growled. "And I'm hungry too." Lucy merely chuckled as she walked back to the bed.

"Oh, come on, hop into my pocket. I'll try and get you something to eat. But you have to be very quiet."

"I'm so tired, I don't think I could even snore."

"Well, you were just a few minutes ago."

"I was?"

"Yup, but I don't think it was loud enough for anyone else to hear."

"Oh good. Don't scare me like that." Lucy merely snickered before closing the pocket flap and leaving her room.

"There you are. What took you so long? Mom and Dad are practically here!" Susan berated her.

"Sorry, Susan, I had completely forgotten that I had already gotten my clothes set up the night before and was looking for them in the drawers."

Susan sighed, "Of course, go figure. Well, go brush your teeth at least, breakfast will be ready in a minute, and Mom and Dad will be here any second."

"Right!" Lucy dashed off into the bathroom and quickly brushed her teeth. She rushed right back out, right as a car pulled into the driveway.

"Mom, Dad!" she called out as she rushed outside to greet her parents, followed by her siblings.

"Hello! How are you doing?" Mrs. Pevensie hugged each of her children.

"Since last week? Not bad," quipped Edmund as he gave his mother a hug.

"Not bad? What about that report last night of a monster and superheroes arriving to save the day?" asked their father as he led the way back into the cottage.

"Oh, that, yeah, um, we're still fine, thanks to those superheroes," replied Edmund.

Peter chuckled before taking up the narrative, "No, we don't know who's behind the masks, but two of them, Lioness and Firebird, explained that Gaia was trying to take over Narnia by combining monsters with her gems to make them more powerful. Hades was the one who found out, and, with Hephaestus' help, created the gems that gave the superheroes the power to defeat the monsters and hand them over to Hades for safe-keeping." The family proceeded to sit around the table as Mrs. Pevensie helped Susan serve breakfast.

"Wasn't there a third one?" asked Mr. Pevensie.

"Yes sir, Ghost Hound they said his name was, he was bringing the stone right away to Hades and had asked them to check to make sure that everybody was alright," replied Peter. Lucy began picking at her food to prevent anyone noticing her sneaking food to Nemea. Was it the right thing to say? Ghost Hound hadn't really asked them to per se, that was just what she had said to help put Ghost Hound in a better light to those who had seen him, and were wondering whether he was really a member of the team or not. Lucy also hoped to establish the fact that Ghost Hound was basically the leader of the group since, as Nemea had put it, Cerberus knew more about the whole situation. And yes, Cerberus was the three-headed guardian of Hades' gates, but he was still a dog, and probably so much cuter than how many described him.

"And Firebird was openly flirting with Susan," quipped Edmund.

"Ed!" hissed Susan.

Mr. Pevensie's eyebrow went up as he glanced at his eldest daughter and asked, "So, does this Firebird seem like an excellent character?"

"You mean, besides his quips that reminded us of Edmund? So far so good," replied Peter with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Which is funny, because he really reminds me of Leo Valdez, and I know Susan doesn't care too much for Leo . . . man, wouldn't it be really funny if the only difference was the mask," quipped Edmund. He shot a glance at Susan, but she clearly caught on to what he was indicating, and refused to look at him to either deny or confirm his idea. Lucy shook her head, everyone knew that, though Leo flirted with every pretty girl who crossed his path, he always seemed to care the most for Susan. And who couldn't? She was clearly one of the most beautiful girls in all of Narnia, and as a son of Hephaestus, Leo had an eye for beauty. Not to say that Lucy didn't get caught with some of his corny one-liners, or anyone else for that matter, but Leo seemed to save the special ones for Susan in particular. And Edmund, of course, being practically his best friend along with Prince Corin of Archenland, tried his best to help his sister come to love the mischievous imp. It was a slow progress, but Lucy had noticed that Susan was warming up to him. And now with Firebird, well, if Lucy could find out that he was in fact Leo Valdez, she wouldn't try to stop him as Lioness. But if it wasn't, well, she just hoped that she wouldn't have to use brute force with him. But now that Edmund had mentioned the similarities, Lucy was beginning to think that Firebird was in fact Leo Valdez. But then, who was Ghost Hound?

"Well, it's good to know that at least Hades has our best interests at heart. I hope the Hydra didn't mess with your Michaelmas celebrations."

"Oh, if anything, it made it more fun!" replied Susan with a big grin. The others quickly chorused an affirmation, big smiles lighting up their faces.

"Oh my, now this, I have to hear," quipped their father as he sat back in his chair with his arms folded and a big smile on his face. The children shot each other big grins before delving into the whole tale. Lucy stayed out as much as possible during the time she had been Lioness, mostly easy considering Peter had just about locked her in the safest room at the barracks, often nicknamed the panic room. Thankfully, he hadn't actually locked her in, otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to save Ghost Hound as Lioness.

"Oh, and we did get to meet Nico di Angelo, the son of Hades," blurted Lucy.

"Hazel's half-brother, right?" asked their mother. They had met Hazel before, but not her reclusive half-brother. The children nodded.

"He's really not all that bad, mainly quiet. I think that's mainly because so many others despise him merely because he's the son of Hades. We watched as he pretty much made the rounds, trying to get people to talk to him," explained Peter.

"We sent Lucy to fetch him to our table when he just about gave up trying to find anyone to talk to," continued Edmund.

"Did they have any problems with him besides being the son of Hades?" asked their father.

The children shook their heads as Susan replied, "Well besides looking scary, they never really gave him a chance to open up to anyone. He really didn't open up much to us either, but, he seemed quite content to be just finally included in something."

"Is he really that scary-looking?" asked their mother.

"Oh, no more than a lion, and I think he became less scary the more we opened up to him," blurted Lucy. "I think he was enjoying himself for the first time in years."

"Oh, how horrible!" exclaimed Mrs. Pevensie.

"Well done! You made someone lonely feel wanted and cared for. Good job, all of you!"

"Thanks dad!" they chorused.

"Should we tell them, Frank?"

Mr. Pevensie merely smiled and replied with, "How about we show them?"

"Show us what?" asked everyone excitedly.

"Come with us, and you'll find out." That was all they could get out of their parents. With their curiosity aroused, they piled into the car and began the two hour trek to the seashore. Meanwhile , the children continued to give all they could recall learning about Nico di Angelo.

Mr. Pevensie surprised them with a question, "Do you think he would make a good advisor?"

"Dad?"

"As in, someone you can trust to give sound advice and wise judgment when you need it."

"I think so. I mean, we haven't asked him to advise us on anything, or judge anything, but I observed him as much as he observed us. He's not stupid and he notices more than what others give him credit for. Though, now that you mention it, I would like to discuss a couple of battle strategies with him. Perhaps being a son of Hades, he might know a thing or two that could help turn a battle," pondered Edmund.

"Compared to, say, Ares or Athena?" asked Susan.

"Well, they do have some good strategies, well, Ares has a few questionable ones, but, since Hades is the ruler of the underworld and all, he might have a few tips that only a child of HAdes could obtain."

"Don't make it the first thing you talk to him about."

"I know, I know. We could probably connect over making fun of the school snobs."

"Edmund!" berated his mother.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

"Learn about his interests, and go from there," suggested their father.

"Yes sir."

"Oh look, there it is!" exclaimed their mother.

"What is?" asked Lucy as the children all attempted to press against the right-side window.

"Ow! You pulled my hair!"

"Get off of me!"

"Hey! Stop pushing, will you?"

"Will you quit that? I'm not a jungle gym!"

"Everybody, sit down!" The four quickly sat down, a couple of hands still pinching at each other. "Give us a minute and you can get out to take a look for yourself."

"Though you can see a bit of it through the front window," added their mother.

"Wait a second, is that a castle?" blurted Edmund.

"Is that, our castle?" asked Peter.

Mr. Pevensie shot them a grin in the rearview mirror before replying with, "You got it. That's Cair Paravel, just about fully restored. It should be completed by your coronation."

"It looks magnificent!" exclaimed Susan.

"Wait until you see the rest of it," blurted Mrs. Pevensie.

"Ooh! I can't wait!" squealed Lucy.

"Well we can't wait to show you!" said Mrs. Pevensie. In a couple of minutes, Mr. Pevensie had parked the car and everyone practically dove out of the car to get a good look at the progress on Cair Paravel.

"Whoa," they all gasped. The sight was certainly breathtaking with the castle overlooking the sea.

"And to think that, long long ago, four kings and queens actually used to sit here," muttered Edmund.

"Exactly, one of whom your brother was named after," remarked Mr. Pevensie, indicating Peter.

"Yes, Ann, Martin, Rose, and Peter," rattled off Lucy.

"Well, thank you for not naming us all after them," quipped Edmund.

Mr. Pevensie laughed, "Now, now, we didn't know we were going to have just four. Once Lucy was born, we had considered it for future children, but, well, you know your mother can't have any more children."

"Which is so sad. I wish I could have some younger siblings," stated Lucy.

"I know, dear, but, you do have the rest of the country because, in a way, I am their mother as well."

"But in a few years, that will be Susan and I, and the girls Peter and Edmund marry."

"That is true, but for now, be their sister," said Mrs. Pevensie as she hugged her youngest. The family got a quick tour of the first floor of Cair Paravel, the overseer not wanting anything to happen to the royal family. Once the tour was over, the family made the two hour drive back to Imiaimos, the entire time chatting away about how grand Cair Paravel was going to look once finished. As they got closer, a certain dread seemed to fill them, but only Lucy knew immediately what it meant, another monster had arrived.

"Hey, um, I think this same feeling came over me yesterday before the Hydra arrived," quipped Edmund. His siblings echoed that the same had happened to them.

"Then that must mean that another monster has arrived. Let's go see if we can help," said Mr. Pevensie as the car was pulling into town.

"Are you sure that's a good idea, Frank?"  
"They need us right now, Helen. Besides, if we can do anything to allow our superheroes to handle this monster without worrying about the safety of civilians, then that's something, right?"

"I suppose so," said Mrs. Pevensie, though she wasn't too certain. Lucy, however, was itching to get out of the car so she could a hidden spot, become Lioness, and help her team. She had to make sure that the two of them were alright, especially Ghost Hound, he was the most important part. He alone could turn the monsters back into stones. Was Firebird looking after him effectively? She had to get out there, Nemea was the only one who could cut through anything and could shield them from the worst attacks. Thankfully, it didn't take long before they came across people running from the monster.

"Everyone out! We need to get these people to the barracks!" called out Mr. Pevensie as he brought the car to a stop. Lucy tried desperately to think of some reason to get away from her family to turn into Lioness. Oh why couldn't she tell them? Nemea said that no one could know, but it was hard having to keep secrets from her family. Aslan, help me, she thought desperately. A thought hit her to run towards the incoming crowd. She acted on instinct and rushed forward. In a matter of minutes, she was lost within the crowd and quickly took her chance to get to a secluded spot.

"Let's do this! Nemea, power up!" The little ion flew out of her pocket and into the sunstone set in her barrette. The changes happened instantaneously, and Lucy was soon dressed in a leonide suit with the lion's mane for a hood. She bounded off in search of her team, and it didn't take long for her to find them. They were moving the monster away from the crowd, but this monster was proving to be rather difficult. Lucy gasped when she paused long enough to get a good look at the monster. It was a minotaur! And it was covered in dark armour! She slowed down her approach, yes, the original minotaur was a horrible monster, but, minotaurs in Narnia had become some of its greatest citizens. Even now, some were helping get the crowds to safety. One approached Lucy when he noticed her stop.

"Lioness, I appreciate knowing that you among so many see us now as friends and family, but please, help your team take out this minotaur. That is the original minotaur and was no doubt sent by Gaia to raise tension between our races. We may be descended from him, but we do not believe as he does. So please, for the love of Aslan, help your team destroy him!"

Lucy glanced at him, determination in her eyes as she nodded and said, "I will." She took off, reaching Ghost Hound's side right before the minotaur attacked and blocked the attack with her shield.

"What took you so long?" shouted Ghost Hound, relief evident in his voice at seeing her.

"Sorry, got caught up in crowd control. The royal family is helping get people to safety!"

"Say what?" Lioness nodded at Ghost Hound's surprised expression. "All the more reason to take this beast down."

"Right. Where's the stone located?"

"Hey! No fair!" shouted Firebird as he went sailing over their heads and slammed into a tree.

"It's on his chest, but be careful, he's fast."

"Well then, I guess it's time for Nemea to show me just how good he is," said Lucy with a wink. She pulled out a couple of the claws, the two turning into knives the instant they left her paw-like gloves, and rushed towards the minotaur. The minotaur bellowed as he rushed into her attack.

"Lioness, what are you doing? Stop!" called out Ghost Hound. But Lucy just kept on going, though she could tell that Ghost Hound and Firebird were following behind her. They were going to be a while, so she had to work fast, and work fast she did. She could hear Nemea's voice suggesting a few moves, and she acted on them. She dove under the minotaur's legs, came up quickly behind him, and thrust a dagger into his side. The minotaur bellowed in rage and pain as he swung out his arm to knock her over, but she ducked and thrust the other knife into his chest armour, cracking it. She jumped out of the way as his big hands came down on her, barely missing her by inches.

"Hey, Lioness, wait!" The sound of Firebird's voice indicated that the two were coming up quick, but Lucy didn't wait. She pulled out another claw and sent it flying into the crack. There was a silent pause as the minotaur's armour cracked open and fell off him.

"Ghost Hound, now!" Lucy kept her eyes on the minotaur as Ghost Hound practically flew by her and brought his glowing scythes down on the minotaur's chest. It screamed as it melted away into a stone.

"Wow, that was awesome, Lioness!" exclaimed Firebird as he raised his hand for a high five. Lucy gave it to him, big grins on their faces.

"Thanks!"

"Where did you learn to throw knives like that?"

"Oh, I've been practising," replied Lucy with a shrug.

"Nice! Hey, Ghost Hound, aren't you going to thank her, praise her, or something? She did just save our necks back there."

"Uh, yeah, good job," mumbled Ghost Hound as he offered his hand. Lucy shook it, but she began to wonder if there was something else.

"Something on your mind?" she asked. Ghost Hound let out a sigh, she hit the bull's eye.

"Hades said we shouldn't reveal our identities to each other, not yet. He thinks we should work on being able to keep our own identities hidden before learning each other's."

"Oh, OK."

"Sounds reasonable."

"Is that what's been bothering you this entire time," asked Lucy when she noticed Ghost Hound's surprised expression.

"Well, I mean . . ."

"What? You said we could at a later time, that's not a never, man," remarked Firebird.

Ghost Hound seemed to relax a lot as he said with a smile, "That's true. I guess I just overthink things, especially things like this because you were really wanting to do it."

"Well of course we really want to do it! But we understand what Hades is trying to get at. I am finding it rather hard to keep my identity a secret," stated Lucy.

"Same goes for me," remarked Firebird.

"Well, I'm glad you understand. Oh, I should get this to Hades, and you should check on the royal family!"

"Say what?" exclaimed Firebird.

"Yeah, Lioness told me that the royal family was helping with the evacuation."

Firebird glanced at Lioness for confirmation, "Really?"

Lucy nodded as she replied with, "Yes, I saw them before I came over."

"Then yeah, we'll go check on them!"

"You go ahead, Nemea is telling me he's exhausted and hungry, I'd better find the little guy some food."

Ghost Hound nodded, "Good idea, the both of you deserve it. Good work today, team."

"Yeah, for our second time at this, we're pretty good!" grinned Firebird.

"Yeah, well, there was one other thing that was worrying me . . ." began Ghost HOund. He let out a sigh before continuing, "Hades says it's only going to get worse."

"Oh."

"But he told me that Hephaestus is making more to help us when the time comes."

"Wait, Hephaestus made these?" asked Firebird.

"Um, yeah, the two are clearly working together for our benefit."

"Wow," Firebird softly muttered.

"Well, now that we've got that cleared up, shall we part ways now? I can practically hear Nemea's stomach."

"Oh, right, sorry Lioness, yes. I'll bring this to Hades."

"And I'm off to check on the royal family," blurted Firebird before taking to the skies. In the next second, Lucy was racing back to the barracks, ducking behind a tree for Nemea to change her back into her regular clothes.

"Oh, please hurry and find me some food. I am so hungry!" moaned Nemea.

"I will, but first, I have to get back to my family before Firebird gets to them!" It didn't take long for her to find them, the all-clear had been given and people were filing out of the barracks.

"Lucy! Where have you been? Don't ever run off on us like that again!" exclaimed her mother as she wrapped Lucy in a bear hug.

"I'm sorry, mom, but I wanted to see the superheroes in action. They were so amazing!"

"Well, now that your curiosity has been quenched, I hope, you won't run out on us again," stated her father. Lucy bit her lip, that was something she couldn't fully promise.

"I'll, I'll do my best, sir," she finally said. Her father seemed satisfied with the answer and gave her a hug.

"Oh good, you're alright!" Everyone glanced up as Firebird landed gracefully. "Lioness saw you on her way to help us, and we got worried about you, so, I came to check on you."

"What about Ghost Hound and Lioness?" asked Peter.

"Ghost Hound is taking the monster to Hades, and Lioness had used all of her power to defeat the minotaur, so she went home to recharge," replied Firebird.

"That was kind of you to come and check on us," remarked Mrs. Pevensie.

"And I know this is only the second time you guys have defeated a monster, but is Ghost Hound going to always avoid talking to us by using the excuse to get the stones to Hades?" asked Edmund.

Firebird shrugged, "I don't know, but if this happens again next time, Lioness and I will have a word with him." He then turned to Susan and bowed. "Is there anything else you require of me, your highness?"

Susan stifled a giggle before replying with, "Nothing for now, thank you."

"If there's ever anything, don't hesitate to ask." He took her hand and pressed it to his lips before shooting her a wink and flying off. Lucy noticed a slight blush coming to her sister's cheeks.

"Oh boy, Leo's got quite the competition," muttered Edmund before the family turned to walk back to their car. Lucy and Peter glanced at each other before letting out soft snorts. Yeah, he did, but Lucy wasn't too worried about it. If it was Leo beneath that mask, then Susan was falling for him. But if it wasn't, well, things would eventually work themselves out, and Leo would get himself a new girl. Just, in that moment, Lucy was never happier to be alive, and a superhero.


	4. Empousa

Leo just sat and sketched, letting the designs flow from his head and through his hand onto the paper. He had been up since five just designing whatever came into his head, but he wasn't tired, and a soft smile played on his lips. He liked being Firebird, it gave him a chance to interact more with the gorgeous Susan Pevensie, the one girl he always claimed was his Muse. How could he not? Hearing her voice, seeing her smile, it just seemed to help the ideas flow much more freely. He couldn't really explain it, nor did he really want to since he was just glad it was someone as lovely as Susan, but it certainly made for some interesting scenes with the Pevensies, considering her brother Edmund was one of his closest friends. Yeah, they ended up brawling a lot, but that was the whole fun of their little competition to one up each other. They just enjoyed throwing snarky, sassy comments at each other. Sometimes one of the other guys would chime in, though it was usually either Corin or Percy Jackson and when they got started, it usually took both Jason and Peter to stop it. A full-blown impish grin had grown on his face, oh yeah, good times. Not that those times were that far back in the past, but, now that he was a superhero and all, it seemed to be becoming somewhat distant. That, and becoming a superhero had caused Leo to rethink a few things. One of those was his relationship with Susan, and with the way he flirted with just about every girl he met. Could that be the main reason why she didn't seem to care? Here he was, claiming to love only her, and yet he would openly flirt with the next girl that crossed his path. That realization might have been a long time coming, but it took a mask to help him see it clearly. Maybe it was time to change tactics, and focus only on Susan all the time.

"What ya thinking?" asked the miniature Phoenix as he landed on Leo's shoulder.

"About growing up and giving my love to only one woman," replied Leo with a smile.

"What? Already? It's only been a few days since I turned you into a superhero!" blurted Phoenix.

Leo let out a laugh before replying with, "Yeah, but, thanks to that mask, I can now see what I've been doing wrong to Susan. She deserves better than what I've been giving her." He picked up the drawing as he finished speaking, satisfied with the result.

"Whoa, you drew that?" exclaimed Phoenix.

"Oh yeah. Susan's always been my muse. Whenever I see her, or hear her voice, I . . ." Leo set the piece of paper down on top of the others on the desk and laid his head on his arms.

"Wow, you really like her alot," Phoenix muttered gently, impressed.

"Yeah, I do, and I haven't been treating her right. Well, I'm going to change that, I have to, starting today, I'm going to treat her like the queen she is, the queen of my heart."

"Yay!" cheered Phoenix. At that moment, an alarm blared throughout the cabin. "Oh, it's already time for everyone to get up and get ready for school."

Leo stretched, "Yup, I just hope today's going to be as quiet as the last two days have been, or that the monster doesn't show up until after I've given this to Susan."

Phoenix chuckled, "Good luck with that, we have no control over when the monsters how up."

"I know, so I'd better get to work as soon as I can on this." Voices and footsteps resounded throughout the cabin, everyone heading towards the kitchen. "Sounds like everyone else is up, let's get you some breakfast."

"Alright!" Phoenix jumped into Leo's pocket, and Leo walked out of his room. With the general disorder in the kitchen, Leo could count on getting something for Phoenix without anyone noticing, and this morning was no different. The two quickly ate their meal before Leo dashed back to his room, gathered his things, and set out for school. The school day went on like any other, with Alecto's boring history class, Dionysus' much more fun home ec class, Mr. Tumnus' casual language and literature class, Mr. Tavros' hysterical arts and crafts class, Mr. Oreius' much more serious science class, Miss Tulmei's vibrant math class, and Miss Luflia's lively music class. But Leo was itching to get to the Hephaestus' Forge club room and get working on his project. In the meantime, he would glance every now and then at Susan, a soft smile spread across his face. He hoped that she would like it, and really couldn't wait to give it to her, which got him thinking about hurrying it up and making it.

Finally, the school bell rung, marking the end of the day, and Leo dashed off to the club room. It was the largest club room, complete with a forge and everything. The club itself was comprised mainly of children of Hephaestus, but it was open to all who wanted to be blacksmiths, jewelers, or anything like that. Leo burst through the door, the forge was just about finished heating up, he could tell by the heat, and Charles Beckendorf was just sitting back in his club captain chair and relaxing.

"Oh, hey Leo, you're . . ."

"Hi Chuck, I need the forge. Thanks!"

". . . early." Charles blinked as Leo dashed off towards the back wall, gathering metals, jewels, and tools. He set everything by the forge, took out his drawing, and went to work. He melted, he hammered, he polished, he pushed and pulled, he twisted and turned, until he was satisfied with the result. He wiped his arm across his sweaty forehead before letting out a breath of relief.

"Whew! It's done! Now, to get it to . . ." Leo turned, and paused, a small crowd had gathered around, watching in rapt surprise.

"Dude! That's a nice piece!"

"It's so beautiful! Who's it for?"

"Where did you come up with that?"

"So pretty!"

"Um . . ."

"So I leave for five minutes, and everyone's left their station?" Charles' voice echoed throughout the room. Leo's little crowd scattered and rushed back to their stations. "Leo, hurry it up with the forge, will you? There's more than one person waiting in line. Oh, and nice necklace." Leo grinned as Charles winked before cleaning up his mess, grabbing his backpack, and rushing out the door.

"I'm done now, thanks!" he blurted before he slammed the door shut behind him. He dashed down the halls in search of Susan. Eventually, he found Edmund and Lucy all decked out in suits for their monthly televised talks with Chiron, Jesse Aarons, and the Archenland twins. "Hi Ed, hey Lu, um, where's Susan?"

"She should be on her way back from the cabin with Peter. Why?" asked Edmund.

"Oh, um, I, uh, wanted to give her this." He showed them the necklace.

"Why Leo, it's exquisite! She'll adore it!" exclaimed Lucy, her eyes sparkling.

"Wow, great job, man! You really outdid yourself this time!" exclaimed Edmund as he patted Leo on his back.

"Thanks! Now, I've just got to give it to her."

"You know, if you hurry, you could still catch them before they get here and give it her then. We've still got a few minutes to spare," said Edmund with a grin and a wink.

"Great! I'll do that! I won't keep them for long!" Leo shouted as he began to run away.

"You'd better not, it only starts in a few minutes!" Edmund shouted back as Leo disappeared down the hall. Leo laughed right before he turned the corner and bolted for the front entrance of the school. When he didn't meet them at the halfway point between their cabin and the school, Leo kept on going, thinking that Susan was putting on some final touches to her make-up or something. He grinned, well, here was another thing to add to those last-minute touch-ups. As he got closer, a sudden dread seemed to creep over him. He knew that feeling, and it urged him on even faster. He almost stopped in his tracks when he caught sight of the cabin, the door was ajar, and he knew the Pevensies never left their front door open. Instead, he put on a burst of a speed, reaching the door in a couple of seconds. He entered a messy scene, curtains were torn, tables and chairs were overturned, a couple of Susan's potted plants had exploded on the ground, and there were quite a few claw marks. Whoever attacked them soon realized that these were not easy prey.

"Susan! Peter! Are you here? Are you alright? Susan! Peter! " he called out frantically. A low moan answered him from behind the table. "Pete! Are you alright?" asked Leo as he pulled debris off the eldest Pevensie.

"Susan . . . must get . . . Susan . . ." he mumbled. He tried to rise, but would have fallen over if Leo hadn't caught him.

"Hey man, you're not doing so hot yourself. Where is she? I'll go get her."

"Another . . . monster . . . empousa? Female vampire," slurred Peter as he showed the bite marks on his neck. "She took . . . her." Rage filled Leo like a roaring furnace, but he had to calm himself down or else he'd burn down the cabin.

"Ugh! Come on, I can't leave you here like this. The faster we get to the nurse's office, the faster I can go after Susan, alright?" Peter nodded sluggishly, and let Leo lead him out of the cabin and back to the school. Surprisingly, the two made good time, and Leo knew it, as he counted the seconds as they walked. "Help! I need a doctor, a nurse, child of Apollo, anybody!" called out Leo as they entered the nurse's office. Will Solace stepped out from behind one of the curtains, his face pale from some kind of shock, and it got paler upon seeing the two of them. "Well, you going to help your king or not?" snapped Leo as he brought Peter closer. He really didn't have time for this, Susan was still missing! In reply, Will only pulled back the curtain to reveal a TV, and Leo's knees just about gave under him. On the TV screen was the room where the Pevensies were supposed to meet with Chiron, Jesse Aarons, and the Archenland twins, but the roof had caved in and a pile of debris was stacked in front of the door. Sitting on the chair was a bound and gagged Susan while an ugly monster that Leo quickly recognized as one of the female vampires, the creature known as Empousa, was glaring into the camera.

"If your so-called superheroes do not meet my demands, I will give your pretty queen to the pirate Chrysaor. I'll repeat it one last time for you puny, forgetful mortals, your superheroes must give themselves up to me in exchange for the pretty queen and reveal their true identities. I shall be waiting where the river meets the sea. You have until the sun sets."

Leo didn't wait to hear more. He practically pushed Peter into Will, shouted, "Take care of him!" and was out the door, booking it to the anchor room. By the time he got there, Edmund was leading an attempt break down the door, but wasn't having any luck. "Let me try!" shouted Leo, his hands bursting into flame. Edmund nodded and made everyone back up.

"What took you so long?" called out Edmund so Leo could hear him over the sizzling door.

"I was getting Peter to the nurse's office!" Leo shouted his reply, his hands melting through every obstacle. But when they finally got through, the Empousa and Susan were already gone. Leo simply turned and rushed out the door, he had to turn into Firebird, now.

"Leo! Where are you going?" shouted Lucy. At that moment, the shadows parted and Ghost Hound stepped into the hall.

"I caught the tail end of the announcements. Where did the monster take Queen Susan?"

"Where the river meets the sea," growled Leo. "And we have until sunset."

"We?" asked Ghost Hound, his eyebrow raised in confusion.

"I promised to save her!"

"No, leave this to us superheroes, we're the ones she wants anyway. If you see Lioness and Firebird, relay this message to them, please. I'll meet them by the ruins of Cair Paravel . . ."

"They're not ruins anymore," blurted Lucy.

"OK, fine, just tell them to meet me at Cair Paravel, we don't have much time."

"No kidding," scoffed Leo. Ghost Hound glanced at Leo as he backed up slowly.

"You're right, this is no joking matter, hence why I expect you fully cooperate with me to get our queen back."

"Our queen?" asked Lucy. Ghost Hound merely glanced at her before stepping back into the shadows and disappeared from view. Leo took that as a cue, and bolted down the halls to get outside. As soon as he hide behind the first spot he could find, Phoenix came out of his jacket pocket.

"Alright Phoenix, power up!" Phoenix flew into the belt and Leo was changed into his Firebird suit. He took off to the sky, grateful that he could fly. He soared over the river, following it to where it met the sea, and Cair Paravel. He swooped into Cair Paravel, finding Ghost Hound fairly easily, hiding in the biggest shadow.

"Good, you're here. Lioness will, unfortunately take the longest."

"Why don't you use the shadows to go find her and bring her here?" asked Leo, a bit of annoyance in his voice.

"And leave you alone to do something stupid?"

"What are you so worried about?" spat Leo.

"That you could do something to jeopardize this mission and put Queen Susan in even greater risk than she is now. I know you like her a lot, but don't let your anger cause you to do something that could lead to her death." Leo clamped his mouth shut, had Ghost Hound figured out who he was? Maybe Hades was right in not having them reveal their secret identities to each other just yet. And if Ghost Hound could figure it out, who else could?

"I see. I won't do anything until you return, I promise."

"How can I trust you?"

"I promise on Susan's life, and my mother's grave, that I will not leave Cair Paravel until you return." Ghost Hound's eyes seemed to widen at that statement, but he regained his composure, nodded, and disappeared into the shadows, again. True to his word, though his heart ached, Leo only observed the encampment on the other side of the river. For the most part, the Empousa merely paced back and forth, and was probably spilling every kind of scenario she could think of to destroy the superheroes to Susan. Leo really did wish he could march over there, beat up the Empousa and fly off with Susan into the sunset, but he gave his word, on her life. He just wished that Ghost Hound and Lioness would hurry it up. Sure, they still had two hours before sunset, but Leo wanted them to hurry simply because he wasn't sure how much longer he could stand watching the Empousa brag about how she was going to win anyway or leaving Susan in her grasp. Though it felt like forever since Ghost Hound left, it was really only a few minutes when he returned with Lioness. Leo let out a soft squeak. "You're back!" he whispered.

"Well, yeah, it wasn't too long."

"Really? Felt like ages ago."

"If it was, you'd have started attacking Empousa because the sun was setting," Ghost Hound quipped drily. Leo grinned sheepishly.

"So, what are we going to do?" asked Lioness. Ghost Hound led them to a spot where they could just make out Empousa and Susan without giving themselves away.

"Someone's going to have to go in as bait," began Ghost Hound.

"Wait, what?" asked Leo.

"Listen, this is a completely different set-up than our first two, alright? The Empousa is cunning and maybe something of a strategist, more so than either the Hydra or the minotaur, both of which just attacked without thinking. This one, she's got a plan, and we don't quite know it yet."

"I don't think she does either," mumbled Leo. Ghost Hound glanced at him questioningly. "She's been going on and on about what she's going to do when we give ourselves up."

"She thinks we're going to give up without a fight?" asked Lioness incredulously. Ghost Hound began to smirk, and Leo shivered.

"So, hubris is our ally today," muttered Ghost Hound. "Listen, I'll go in as the decoy . . ."

"What? No! We need you to turn her into a stone," hissed Lioness. "I'll do it."

"But I need you to come in on Susan's side in order to protect her!" blurted Ghost Hound. Leo sighed, had they forgotten already? "And Firebird can shoot flames at her from behind, it's not like I have to reveal myself." Ghost Hound glanced at Leo. "That is, if you don't make it up there in time."

"Uh, I will, but, um, why not let me go as decoy?"

"Didn't you just hear me? You can fly and shoot flames. Lioness can get around to Susan and protect her from them."

"What about you?"

"I can shadow away, or get behind Lioness' shield. Either way, you'll get the first attack on her." Leo began to grin as he realized what Ghost Hound's plan really meant.

"Sounds like a deal to me."

"Good. I'll shadow Lioness to the other side while you fly low and get behind Empousa. Don't attack until I've said, 'OK, if you insist'. Alright?"

"Right," chorused Leo and Lioness.

"Good, let's go." Ghost Hound grabbed Lioness' hand and the two shadowed away. Leo waited a second to make sure Empousa's back was turned before he flew towards the beachfront. Keeping as low as possible, he turned and made his way towards where Empousa was waiting. So far, his approach went unnoticed, but he didn't let out a breath of relief until he was situated behind the largest rock closest to Empousa's camp. A loud snap startled all three as their eyes went towards the treeline. Ghost Hound walked out from beneath the trees.

"Ah, so you've made it, good. Took you long enough. Where are the other two?"

"That's why I was late, I was searching for them. They might not know what's happened yet. But I did leave word that if anyone were to see them, that they are relayed the news."

"I see," the Empousa replied in a soft hiss. "Well, since you are here, and you're the most important of the three, I guess this will do. Take off your mask."

"Why? I'm here, I'm giving myself up. Isn't that enough?"

"Oh no, you're the smartest of the three, that I know."

"We've only faced two monsters, how could you know that?" Empousa clamped her mouth shut. "So, does Gaia actually know who we are?" asked Ghost Hound, his voice becoming low and deadly as he took a couple of steps forward.

"Not another step, or, or I'll kill your queen!" Ghost Hound did pause, though Leo knew it had nothing to do with the threat. It was a pretty weak threat, Empousa was further away from Susan than Ghost Hound was, if he really wanted to, Ghost Hound could just simply grab Susan and shadow her to safety. But he was certainly right, hubris was an unlooked for, yet very welcome ally. "Alright, I'm the one in charge here, superhero, so you're going to do as I say! Take a seat next to your queen!" Leo couldn't see him very well, but he knew Ghost Hound was raising his eyebrow in surprised pleasure, this was going a little better than planned.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, just, sit!"

Ghost Hound did as he was told, but, he had to ask, "But I thought you wanted to reveal myself. With the way you're talking, it sounds like you already know who I am."

"No, we don't, at least, I don't. Maybe Gaia does know, but, she hasn't said a word. But we do know that you're the smartest, the Nemean Lion is the strongest, even though he should have been on our side, and that the Phoenix is the fastest."

"You do know that it's a girl who's working with the Nemean Lion, and we call her Lioness? I'm Ghost Hound, and the fellow working with the Phoenix is Firebird."

"Oh, shut up and take off your mask!" shrieked the Empousa.

"Are you sure . . ."

"Just do it, or I'll kill her!"

"Say what?" said Ghost Hound in a very low, very dangerous voice. The Empousa involuntarily stepped back a bit. That's when Leo noticed Lioness behind one of the trees, she was ready to jump in front of Ghost Hound and Susan.

"J-just, just do it!"

"OK, if you insist," replied Ghost Hound with a shrug. But he made no move to take off his mask, because at that moment, Leo was flying towards the Empousa, his hands yielding flames, and Lioness bounded from behind the trees and planted herself in front of Ghost Hound and Susan. "Now!" shouted Ghost Hound. Lioness put up her shield, and Leo let loose the flames. The Empousa shrieked as the flames licked around her.

"You cheaters!" she shrieked as she battled the flames.

"Firebird, again!" called out Ghost Hound. Leo sent the flames at his adversary yet again. "Lioness, the stone is in her right arm!"

"Right!" Lioness' claws gleamed in the fading sunlight as she charged and slashed at the Empousa's right arm. The armour fell off in pieces, and Ghost Hound attacked, bringing his scythes down hard. The Empousa screamed as the stone activated and began sucking in her essence.

"We're not finished! You may have won this battle, but Gaia has an army! She will destroy you all! And that other one will rule Narnia!" The next thing they knew a bloodstone was sitting at their feet, but their faces were pale.

"So . . . that one she's referring to . . ." began Lioness.

"Is the White Witch," growled Ghost Hound.

"Gaia did bring her back," muttered Leo as he went to Susan and freed her.

"Of course, the two made a deal, neither like mortals, so this works for the both of them," stated Susan. Ghost Hound reached down and picked up the bloodstone, putting it in his pocket.

"Can you make sure she gets back safely, Firebird?" he asked.

Leo grinned, "With pleasure." He turned to Susan and gave her a bow. "Your majesty, if I may."

"Well, I guess so, but first." She hugged Lioness and planted a kiss on Ghost Hound's cheek before planting a kiss on Leo's cheek. "Thank you all for saving me."

"Hey, we're superheroes, it's what we do," replied Leo with a grin. He picked up Susan and held her close. "Hold on tight," he told her with a wink. He glanced at Lioness, "Hey, need a ride?"

"Well, actually, I was wondering if Ghost Hound could give me a ride before he goes to Hades. I'd like to get back quickly."

"Of course," replied Ghost Hound, the two stepping into the shadows. Leo flew off through the sky, a huge grin across his face, he was flying into the sunset with Susan, as he had hoped to. The two chatted a bit during the trip, but it was over far too soon, at least for Leo it was. He landed at the front of the school, where everyone had gathered. Peter was looking much better now, but he was still leaning on Edmund.

"Susan!" called out Lucy as she rushed in to hug her sister. Then the rest of the crowd rushed in to make sure their queen was alright. Peter and Edmund approached Leo, Peter extending his hand.

"Thank you so much for looking after her."

"No problem, but it was a team effort," replied Leo as he shook Peter's hand. "Well, if you're no longer in need of my services, I'll be off, I'm tired."

Peter let out a laugh, "Of course, you've deserved it."

"Thanks, see you around, your majesties." He shot them a grin and a wink before flying off to a safe spot to detransform. He waited a few minutes before rushing out to join the crowd. "Susan, you're alright!" He wrapped her up in a hug.

"Leo! Where have you been man? I've been looking all over for you!" berated Edmund.

"Just wanted to see if the superheroes needed my help, guess they didn't need it after all."

"You were going to help save me? Oh Leo," stated Susan as she gave Leo a big kiss on the lips. Leo couldn't help it, though he was blushing as red as a tomato, he was grinning like a Calchester cardinal.

"Oh, right, um, I was going to give this to you," said Leo as he pulled out the necklace.

"Oh Leo, it's beautiful!" she gasped as she fingered the golden sun set with jeweled flowers. "Can you put it on?"

"Of course!" Leo quickly obliged, the golden necklace a welcome addition to Susan' already graceful beauty.

"It looks good on you Susan!" exclaimed Lucy.

"Of course it does, Leo knows me way too well," replied Susan with a beam at Leo.

"Well, now that we have our queen back, I can announce that we will postpone the meeting until next week, along with all school activities. Until we can get our school fixed up," announced Chiron. Cheers went up all around, no school for a whole week! Maybe having monsters around wasn't half bad. "And now that the excitement is all over, I expect everyone to their cabins! We'll figure out something else for you to do with your time." Everyone else groaned. Leo merely chuckled, he didn't mind, as long as he could turn each outing into a date with Susan, he'd be happier than a satyr in spring.


End file.
